Phantom Regiment’s BOD held its annual meeting on July 16, which included the election of directors and officers.
As was previously announced (The Last 12 Minutes), long-time board president Tim Farrell stepped down from the role he had held since 2000. Greg Newell, who had been secretary since 2010 and was vice president from 2002-2005, did not run for re-election as an officer. Both remain on the Board of Directors as At-Large Members.
These leadership departures opened the door for new people to step into officer positions among the 15-member board.
“Our board is stacked with people who have great abilities and work experience, which is driving me toward a position where I don’t need to be board president anymore,” Tim said in a recent interview. “I have so much confidence in the board’s ability to get through whatever, to move in a lot of directions at the same time, and to all be on the same page.”
Greg agrees that there is a lot of ability among the board and says it’s a positive sign for the organization that there are others anxious and ready to take over those leadership responsibilities.
“This is the most talented board since I joined in 2000, and we just hired a fantastic CEO (Todd Snead) last September,” he said. “Tim and I have been in our roles for a long time. I know I speak for him in saying that while we’ve enjoyed it immensely, we both felt it was the right time to step aside a little bit.”
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
JEFF HASSAN, who had been vice president since 2017 and on the board since 2010, was elected as president. He is a global key accounts manager for NXP Semiconductors. Jeff is an alumnus of Phantom Regiment (1996-98). He lives in Novi, Mich., with his wife, Phantom Regiment alumna Melissa (Ganser) Hassan, and their two young children.
Jeff has been leading the development committee for the past several years, and his efforts are bearing fruit – with many more ideas in the pipeline.
ROBIN LANNING, who is in her second stint on the board, was elected vice president. She was on the board from 2012-2017 and was elected again in 2021. She is the marketing director for Tactive in addition to being Phantom Regiment’s fundraising coordinator. She marched in Phantom Regiment in 2002-03. Robin lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Brett
Robin, who has held the lead role in making the organization’s fund-raising events happen, wears many hats for Phantom Regiment. She’s part of a busy marketing committee, manages the website and has been instrumental in facilitating the board’s strategic planning retreats.
EMILY BARCLAY, who has been on the board since 2015, was elected secretary. She is a music teacher for KIPP Los Angeles Schools. She was a member of Phantom Regiment from 2005-09. Emily lives in Torrance, Calif., with her husband, Rick.
Emily has taken on increasing responsibilities over the past couple of years and now leads multiple subcommittees: scholarships (part of the Development Committee, of which she’s a long-time member) and board recruiting (part of the Governance Committee).
KELLY COUVELAIRE was re-elected as treasurer, a role she has held since 2019.
Re-elected to their board seats were Jennifer Duenke, Tim Farrell, Joe Hickey, Robin Lanning, and Aaron Ozminski. Officer positions of president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer are all one-year terms, while the board seats are staggered three-year terms. Joe is one of the longest-serving board members of Phantom Regiment. He was elected in 1998. Only Tim Farrell and Mark Patterson have longer tenures.
